10 Questions with ... Jaybeau Jones

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

My 40-year on-air career put me behind the mic in New York on Z100, Boston's Kiss 108 and Philly's former Eagle 106.

I programmed Kiss 95.7 in Hartford, WBMX and WODS/Boston, WUBT-WKSC/Chicago, WXLO/Worcester and JB-105 (Now Lite Rock 105)/Providence.

Today you can hear me weekday afternoons on Beasley's WROR Boston and SiriusXM '70s on 7. You can also hear me on Dunkin Radio News each weekday, heard in over 1,300 Dunkin Donuts locations throughout America.

One of my favorite career highlights was the opportunity to fill in for the legendary Rick Dees on the "Rick Dees Weekly Top 40."

In 2016, I was inducted into the Rhode Island Broadcasters Hall Of Fame.

In 2012, my book Heroes Mentors and Friends was published, sharing real stories on how positive thinking and mindfulness can make the difference to create the life you desire.

1) How would describe your first radio gig?

Well, I was kind of the first "intern" at WORC-A/Worcester. I'd come in after school and do stuff around the station. On-air, I was at college station WACR, Assumption College Radio, two miles from my house in Worcester. One day I walked in to do my two-hour show when I realized I was crossed off the schedule. I stormed in to the new PD to complain. His response was "Ah, you don't go here. You're in high school. This station is for students of the college." Well, he was right. I was the only DJ on the college station who didn't go to the college. The old PD was the first to give me a shot on the college station when I was 16. Maybe he liked me because I brought my own produced sweepers on carts that I made at WORC. (The blue kind that had the round back. "Marathon Carts" were made in Worcester.)

2) What led you to a career in radio?

I always loved (and still do) the behind-the-scenes making of TV and radio. Before WORC-A, one day I called the Worcester station WSMW-TV Channel 27 and asked them for a tour and ... a job. They couldn't hire me, but they let me hang out. Around the age of 13, many summer days were spent at Channel 27 learning how TV is done. The booth announcer was a great guy named Mike Rogers, who was also a weekend DJ on WFGL/Fitchburg. He told me all about it. His on-air show was much different than his "booth announcer style." I was captivated by the jingles, how Mike navigated over the song intros, how FM sounded different than AM mono broadcasts ... I said "I need to try that."

And I loved listening to WRKO/Boston, WABC and WLS. As time went on I really wanted to be one of those amazing, big sounding "jocks."

3) You've been in the business for a while, To what do you attribute your longevity?

Do you have three hours? First, I've been very blessed and try not to take it for granted. The short answer: love, passion, and grit. I love our industry and somehow I'm still passionate to do the best I can every day. Through the hard times, the grit gets you through it.

No matter how hard it could get, a major part of what we do never felt like work to me. While I worked and still work very hard, it still feels tingly and fun each break. Getting ready for 'ROR and SiriusXM each day, I say "okay ... geez ...what am I gonna do today that's a little different from yesterday? How do I make another Nor'easter sound compelling?" But once that first break hits and it works, and the next ... you hit a groove. At the end of the show, I feel like, "We did it." Each day, I still, get lost in the fun.

4) Who are some of the greatest jocks and programmers you've worked with?

This answer could be answered as part of the longevity question above. I have the greatest programmers to learn from and work with each day. My OM at WROR is Cadillac Jack, who hired me at Kiss 108 in the early 2000s. Cadillac is the "Tom Brady/Bill Belechick" of programmers ... a gifted, brilliant strategist, period. My WROR PD Ken West inspires me daily to be the best. He is one of the most creative and innovative programmers I have ever worked for. He encourages me to be me, and helps me blend it with the magic of 'ROR. It's a joy to have Beasley Media Group VP/Programming Buzz Knight in our building. The impact Buzz has made on these stations is present every day.

I am also blessed to work for Rob Williams and Mary Menna, two of the best Market Managers I have ever worked for. Also, it's awesome and encouraging to see the commitment that Beasley EVP/Programming Justin Chase has made and to see the continued success of WROR since Beasley took us over.

Like my special relationship with Cadillac and Ken, on the '70s on 7 side, Sirius XM pop music VP Kid Kelly is not only a talented programmer, he's an accomplished veteran on-air talent. Kidd sounds as great today as he did on Z100. Doing a national show is a little different than a local show. With Kid being on the air on Hits One, his guidance has been instrumental. Add to that, my talented '70s on 7 PD Human Numan is also a veteran on-air talent and programmer. Human has guided me as well on how to make '70s sound FUN and "today" ... and not old.

I've been blessed to also work with and for legendary programmers Brian Phillips, Steve Kingston, Guy Zapoleon, Steve Rivers R.I.P, Charlie Quinn, Buddy Scott and Todd Fisher.

To work with our morning show, WROR's Loren and Wally, is an amazing experience and honor. They are market legends and great guys.

I also love our morning show team of Lauren Beckham Falcone, Brian Bell and Hank Morse. They are all very talented and work hard! Our midday talent is the amazing Julie Devereaux. She is the most natural jock I have ever heard, and is always #1.

On '70s on 7, I have learned so much from the legendary Magic Matt in the morning and JJ Walker, who I worked with at Eagle in Philly. Matty worked afternoon drive at Z100/New York and KIIS/L.A.! Do I need to say more? At night, JJ Walker is the biggest sounding jock on the air in all 50 states! It's an honor to be on 70 on 7 with those two pros.

Growing up, my favorite classic jocks were Larry Lujack on WLS (who I had the honor to hire out of retirement while programming in Chicago!), Johnny Dark on WRKO and WNBC, John "Records" Landecker and Jeff Davis on WLS, Dan Ingram on WABC, Ted Richards on CKLW, and Bill Saint James on 97 WYNY. As mentioned, it was an honor to fill in for Rick Dees on "The Weekly Top 40." I got to fly out to his legendary studios in Burbank, CA and record three countdowns that aired all over the world. It was an unbelievable experience. Rick is one of the nicest people I have ever worked with. I also have to mention Dick Smith who gave me my first break at WORC-A/Worcester and my good friend and mentor Mike Waite, who gave me a shot at JB-105 in Providence.

Lastly, my #1 favorite AC jock is SiriusXM '90s on 9 promo voice Heidi West. She is an amazing jock and VO talent. Heidi is a promo voice talent with the Mix Group VO Imaging company. She is also my wife!

5) How do you keep your stations sounding fresh despite the fact you're playing 30 to 40-year-old music?

I use modern elements from today and blend it in to the fabric of the brand and the song I'm playing. Technology helps.' One great example: Paul McCartney is on Twitter. Right there, that opens up a world of ideas. One break I did on '70s on 7 was mentioning the "Beatles Channel Vote, for your 8 Songs A Week." I said: "Your votes go right to Paul McCartney's smart phone!"

Using the legacy of these great songs can work for us as well, making us feel good, not old. I did an 'ROR break recently when I was playing "Is She Really Going Out With Him" by Joe Jackson: "Today when we get dumped we cry on Facebook, in the '80s we wrote a song ... like Joe Jackson." That break touches on the on-demand need-it-now society we live in and how it can devalue the art of patience and anticipation, and even healing. More fun breaks on '70s: "In the '70s, we didn't need Rosetta Stone to learn French, we had LaBelle." "In the 70s, we didn't need a dating coach, we had Tom Jones."

Today, people are craving simpler times. While technology can be a convenience by speeding things up, we also need to make time to slow down and appreciate simpler times. Classic Hits does that. If we do it right, it makes us feel good, not old.

6) Local, local, local has always been radio's mantra. How do you translate this to the national footprint of satellite radio?

On '70s, they encourage me to acknowledge my Boston home studio. That opens up a whole world of opportunities to add a local flare, but make it relate to the broader, national audience. Each city in the country has its own unique quality and I use that. For example, Hollywood and L.A. are known for Hollywood, the California lifestyle and traffic. New England and Boston are known for history, sports, MIT, Haaaarvard, the Kennedys and the accent. We call it BEE-YA (beer) here. South Boston's St Patty's Day celebrations are almost famous.

I had fun in the NFL playoffs teasing our '70s night guy JJ who does his show from Miami on "his Miami Dolphins vs. my Patriots."

Thanks to the Internet and social media, you can share funny or interesting stories from all 50 states and tie it back to a local angle. I did a break recently that did just that: "An 18-wheeler in Florida turned over, destroying 60,000 pounds of Busch beer. Here in South Boston, flags are flying at half-mast." Johnny Carson did it every night talking about "Burbank." Fallon teases New York; Kimmel and Conan poke fun at LA. It's all how you frame it.

After the Super Bowl, when the story of the Carnival Cruise brawl broke and a family of 23 was thrown off the ship, I said: "You Eagles fans can't stop celebrating." So that story was local to Philly, and relatable to everyone else.

Using Twitter helps, as I say hi and give shout-outs to my Twitter followers. During tough weather I give a shout-out to my meteorologist pal on TV in Memphis.

7) What is your favorite part of the job?

Last week I got a text from my daughter Jordan who was in an Uber, who was cranking WROR. She sent me a smartphone video of the radio on 105.7 playing the break. It's awesome that my grown-up kids work in Boston and get to hear 'ROR.

My favorite part of WROR in Boston is being on WROR in Boston! Boston is such an awesome, provincial city. My show comes out from our tower at the "Top Of The Pru." I drive by Fenway Park each day on the way to work! The listeners here have so much passion for everything, from food to music, to Sox, to Pats, to Celts, to Bruins and everything in between. It's a joy to connect with the audience every break, on the phone or on social media. When they were filming the movie Ted, here, I got to meet Seth MacFarlane! When 'ROR's Wally Brine of our legendary Loren and Wally In The Morning retired, the station threw a listener party for Wally. Boston comic icons Lenny Clark and Tony V were the hosts! These guys are movie and TV stars!

Plus, PD Ken West and Jamie Martel, our awesome Promotion Director, always support fun ideas for video content. We have a full-time video department that is always there to help us make creative content. What an amazing asset!

Being on '70s on 7 in all 50 states from my house is truly a gift. It's awesome to hear from people all over the country. One recent tweet was: "I'm cranking '70s with Jaybeau in Dallas!" That's very cool!

One special moment was in 2016: Heidi and I were on vacation in Bermuda with my family. We were shopping in a store when a family member yelled: "Hey, I just heard Heidi on the air on '90's on 9!" The store in Bermuda was playing the channel. The next day we were at Bermuda's legendary rum bar Swizzles. "Heidi said, 'Wait ... listen!' We listened and heard, 'It's Ron Parker in for Jaybeau on SiriusXM, '70s on 7.' Swizzles plays '70s on 7 all the time! So now I say on the top of the hour ..."Serving all 50 states, and a rum bar in Bermuda."

8) Other than consolidation, what are the most significant changes in the business over the years?

Of course, the obvious change is the addition of social media and video content to station brands. Posting relevant and compelling content on social media is now a major part of our daily show prep.

One of the coolest additions to my WROR brand is my podcast called "The Seven: 7 Minutes of What's Cool This Week," hosted by me and my wife Heidi. Podcasting extends your personality brand allowing the audience to connect with you on a deeper, personal level on their smartphone after your show ends. For example, for this past Game Of Thones season, Heidi and I reviewed each week's episode on the podcast. We are both GoT geeks. The podcast got front and center homepage placement on wror.com and a jock liner that was promoted on WROR.

When Game Of Thrones came to Boston for a tie in with AT&T, Heidi and I were there shooting video and sharing photos of actual Game of Thrones show props. It was the perfect tie in to the podcast.

9) What artist would we be surprised to find on your personal playlist?

Well, I am playing music for most of the day, so I don't listen to much music off the air. But I do love Chicago, Doobies and EWF!

I love to listen to audio books by Eckart Tolle.

10) What is the coolest recent promotion you've been involved with?

WROR each year is the radio partner for the Pan Mass Challenge, a yearly fundraiser where 5,000 bike riders from all over the country come to Boston and ride to raise millions for the Dana Farber Cancer Hospital. I'm honored to be on the air for the kick-off event live on location interviewing riders. One rider last year told me he's been riding for 20 years. He shared, "The first year I was scared that I couldn't raise five grand. This year, my team will raise over $100,000." That's one guy! It's a very inspiring event.

What's the coolest promotion you've ever been involved with?

That's a tough one, because we've done so many. But a favorite of mine was when I was the PD of Hot AC Mix 1041 here. Mix, of course, is a female-targeting station. I came up with an online contest called Abtober, inviting dudes to submit pictures of their six-packs, asking listeners to vote. Listeners chose the final twenty on line. We held a finalist event at the Hard Rock Cafe where listeners chose the winner who won a grand. We got one million hits on line.